Match report: Lymington CC (227 all out) beat Bashley (Rydal) CC (205 all out) in opening Southern Premier Cricket League (SPCL) Premier Division fixture
Lymington CC finally ended an almost eight-year wait for a derby victory over long-time rivals Bashley (Rydal) CC, winning by 22 runs on the opening day of the season on Saturday.
Lymington (227 all out) secured victory against Bashley (205 all out) for the first time since August 2018 in an absorbing contest, writes Lionel Colby.
It was an excellent advert for the league on a lovely day, even though both sides were short of match practice, with batsmen getting themselves in trouble due to poor shot selection.
Bashley captain Michael Porter admitted the game was lost in the first ten overs of each innings and not helped by giving away 37 runs in wides compared to 11 conceded by Lymington, which ultimately contributed to the 22-run defeat.
On an easy-paced but good wicket that was a credit to the Bashley groundsmen, despite the complex spring preparations, Bashley won the toss and put Lymington into bat.
With left-hander Terry Crabb (18) returning to the fold, Lymington were 55-1 after ten overs and going along nicely with Monam Abbas (33) striking the ball well, fresh back from playing cricket in Pakistan and, previous to that, Melbourne.
After Robbie Hemmings (15) was out caught, Jovan Dhariwal (26) and Ryan Scott (14) put on 43 for the fourth wicket.
It was then left to captain Gareth Berg (50) to ensure that Lymington had a competitive total, although maybe still around 25 runs short.
It was the Bashley spinners who dominated with Ethan Baker (3-53), back after playing for the Hampshire Academy, and Jacob Gordon (3-33), while medium pacer George Wilson (3-24) was primarily responsible for polishing off the tail.
Overseas Australian player Eddie Withington had a dream start for Lymington. He took just six balls to take his first league wicket, bowling Will Tripcony (2) in the first over of the Bashley innings.
After ten overs, Bashley were just 33-2 and finding it challenging to get the Lymington bowlers away, helped by tight fielding.
Porter (73) played a captain’s innings batting at number five but with limited contributions from the other top-order batsmen, like Jack Stearman and Jacob Gordon, the league’s leading batsman in 2024, both scoring 20 and then Dan Goodey (21).
Crabb weighed in with three sharp catches, but the game could still have swung in favour of Bashley when Jovan Dhariwal dropped Porter on the boundary. However, Lymington then held on to a similar chance later on.
Lymington were effectively home when the last five wickets fell for 30 runs.
Withington had a dream debut, taking 3-35 in his 10 overs, while Alvin Cameron, who also generated some pace, finished with 2-32. Monam Abbas was also in good form with his spin (2-44), which included Porter’s crucial wicket.
Lymington plays their first home league game of the season against Bournemouth on Saturday. At the same time, Bashley will travel to last season’s champions, Hampshire Academy. Both are limited 50-over games with a 12.30pm start.
